INTRODUCTION

The Blur Building by Diller, Scofidio and Renfro (2002) and the Fondation Cartier by Jean Nouvel (1994) both portray qualities engaging the senses and host an experience. These were both key projects to experience through the body, and to allow the body to define the space.

Jean Nouvel’s pursuit for a perceptual game of ephemeral effects allows an architecture based on perception over presence. 1 The Fondation Cartier questions the definition of interior/exterior and enables the sky to touch the earth. He brings layers and depth through a simple structure and plays with the way light refracts and reflects as it hits the glass. An art gallery in Paris, Fondation Cartier plays with context through it’s own site and the new site for the art it houses, allowing the art to be seen directly with nature, creating a new environment.

In a world of visual appropriation, the Blur Building becomes a counter strategy experiment. 2 This temporary structure for the 2002 Swiss EXPO creates a climate, directly based off the site on which it sits. Blur is an ‘anti-spectacle’ featuring nothing to see except to engage with senses and question the body in space with unregulated movement and limited visual stimulation. 3

The following case studies allow a visual comparison of distinct qualities between both designs.

Figures top to bottom 3. The Blur Building from lake edge. 4. Fondation Cartier Facade and streetscape.